Chapter 6

6

ROB

T here was one place that wouldn't be occupied on a Sunday in early August in the days following a tornado.

I'd only been a resident of Rosewood Ridge for a couple of years, but as a former high school football player, I attended every game. Supporting this small-town high school football team made me feel a little closer to home.

I'd also heard talk of their practice schedule. I knew they took Sundays off. That meant even if there hadn't been a tornado, the field house tucked way behind the school past the football field would be empty right now.

"Is this a high school?" Elisia asked, looking around as we pulled into the main entrance.

I nodded. "Were you ever a cheerleader?"

She shook her head. "I tried out a couple of years, but even in my small town, I didn't make the cut. I didn't start taking gymnastics classes as soon as I came out of the womb like most of the girls who made the squad."

"Well, I was a football player all four years," I said. "And I had a fantasy."

Yes, a sexual fantasy. I didn't have the kind of game to hook that kind of thing up back then. I hung out with the most popular group in school, but when it came to girls, I was shy and awkward. I'd hear a girl liked me and inevitably blow it.

But junior year, everything changed. I briefly dated a senior who took my virginity. She gave me the confidence I needed to get a woman into bed.

"Your fantasy was having sex on the football field," she said. "Or maybe the bleachers. Yes, I'm guessing the bleachers."

"Nope." I shook my head.

The football field was to our left, and I sped past it, heading straight to the field house. If it was all locked up, I might have to come up with a plan B, but I was hoping to figure out a way in.

I pulled into a parking space on the side, just in case anyone came along. They'd still see my truck, but it wouldn't be visible until they got all the way back here. I didn't plan for us to be here all that long, anyway.

"Do they have showers?" Elisia asked.

As I cut the engine, I looked over at her. "That's one of the reasons I picked this place."

I needed a shower. I didn't have any soap or shampoo, but if these guys were like we were, someone was always leaving toiletries behind. If not, I'd at least get the day's worth of grime off with water.

"We could be arrested for this," she said as she followed me around to the front of the building. "It's considered school property, right?"

I glanced over at her as we stood in front of the only door into the place. "Are you saying you don't want to do this?"

I braced myself for her answer. If she backed out now, there'd be nothing I could do about it. But I had to ask. I had to know she was comfortable with every part of this. Not just comfortable, but as on board as I was.

"No way," she said.

She gave me a smile, then grabbed the handle. I fully expected it not to budge as she twisted it to the right, but it moved easily under her hand.

"Ah, small-town life," she said. "Nobody even has to lock their doors."

She entered the locker room without waiting for me. As I stepped inside, she was already halfway across to the showers, like she'd known where they were all along. It was just one big, open room with lockers on one side, showers on the other, and some benches in between, so it wasn't that much of a mystery.

When I heard the shower fire up, I thought about joining her. But no, I needed my separate shower. I had a particular fantasy in mind, and this one required me to be squeaky clean.